Allegedly a stainless-steel mirror captures the sunlight and brings it to rooms using a fiber-optic cable

Almost every home or office has its dark corners away from windows. Until now, the only solution was to use electric lights to brighten things up. Apart from using electricity, electric lighting is never as pleasant as real sunlight, but now, an innovative start-up says it has developed a way to bring sunlight to any part of a building – without the need for structural changes.

Mirror dish (Solros)

The system, developed by Swedish start-up Solros (Swedish for “sunflower”), allegedly captures sunlight using a stainless-steel mirror. Like a sunflower, it moves automatically to follow the sun’s rays. Sunlight is then transmitted to a lightbox or luminary using a fiber-optic cable, bringing natural light to gloomy rooms.

Solros wanted its invention to be within the reach of ordinary people, so it has developed the system to work with either glass or plastic fiber optic cable. The glass fiber cable is costlier but can transfer light over a distance of 100 meters. However, Solros found that a sunlight transmission distance of 20 meters was more than adequate for most homes, and the plastic version of the cable is not only cheaper but able to transmit light over this distance.

Working principle of Solros’ system (Solros)

As an additional cost-cutter, professional installation isn’t needed. Most home handymen and women will be able to install their system with a few basic tools and skills. The system can’t store light, so it doesn’t replace electric lights at night, but as soon as dawn breaks, the Solros dish “wakes up” and begins tracking and concentrating the sunlight once again.

Still, the physical operating principle seems to remain a mystery. What exactly is transported with the cable? What happens with the lightbox?

How it All Began

A pair of engineers, Jon Ramstedt and Daniel Johannsen, developed the first natural light harvesting and distribution system back in 2015. It was suitable for large corporates that wanted to create pleasanter office lighting conditions for their employees. However, the large-scale version was costly, and only affluent companies could afford it. But despite this, the idea gained traction and was put to work in several countries around the world.

The biggest obstacle to even more widespread adoption was the cost, so the two friends decided to investigate ways in which a similar system could be produced for an affordable price. If they could achieve this, they would have a sustainable lighting solution that would not only make homes pleasanter but also save electricity.

Their drive to cut the cost of sunshine-harvesting resulted in the invention of the light-gathering disc and the adoption of plastic fiber-optic cable to replace the more expensive glass cabling. With the new system almost ready for commercial production, Ramstedt and Johannsen decided it was time for some additional skills on the team. They appointed a team of designers to help with the finishing touches that would turn the invention into a marketable product and entered a partnership with an engineering firm, Essiq.

Next Steps will Lead to The Launch of the Light Transferring Technology

Solros is currently busy with a crowdfunding campaign and hopes to use the funds raised to finance the manufacture of its first batch of what it terms “reallight” systems. To keep prices accessible, the company will need to place a sufficiently large order with the factory it has chosen to manufacture the invention.

The team is also developing an app that will allow users to monitor energy savings and get personalized weather forecasts, adding a dimension of fun into the equation. Production of the system is scheduled for August 2018, and the product’s launch will occur in January 2019.

With the world being ravaged by the deleterious effects of global warming and other harmful human activities and practices, the quest is actively on to find alternative sources of energy that do not damage the planet or slow down human civilization. As various countries worldwide recently announce the phasing out of gasoline-powered vehicles, seek to close down fossil fuel-burning power plants, and enact a host of other energy-saving legislation, a remarkable revolution gathers steam in South Australia.

The South Australian government announced a $550 million energy plan back in March this year and has been resolutely seeking to go green. Barely 30 days after finalizing plans with green energy giant Tesla to build the biggest lithium-ion battery storage plant in the world near Jamestown, the state government is this August back in the news. And for good reasons. According to it, in line with its stated goals, it will in partnership with SolarReserve set up a single-tower solar thermal power plant that will be the biggest on this green earth.

“SolarReserve’s energy storage technology is an excellent fit for the South Australian electricity system,” said SolarReserve’s CEO Kevin Smith. “Aurora will provide much needed capacity and firm energy delivery into the South Australian market to reduce price volatility. SolarReserve looks forward to continuing to work with the South Australian government and stakeholders, including the Port Augusta community where the project is located, to support Federal and State renewable energy targets, stimulate long-term economic development, and create new jobs and businesses.”

Planned power output for this huge plant is stated to be 150 megawatts resulting in 495 gigawatt hours generated yearly. And for those who don’t know it, though only a relative newcomer to the green energy scene, SolarReserve is now one of the heavy-hitters in renewable energy projects worldwide, and is well-respected. According to them, the power plant will create 650 direct construction jobs, 4,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs, and will have a life span of around 40 years, with no discernible degradation being experienced.

(SolarReserve)

The planned power plant has been given the grandiloquent name of Aurora Solar Energy Project. The design is to be based on the innovative Rice Solar Energy Project in ever sunny California that has been indefinitely shelved, owing to tax-related difficulties. Thus, solar energy will be gathered by thousands of mirrors and then focused by heliostats directly to a receiver on top of a 227 meters high central tower. There, the energy is used to power a turbine to produce electricity and is also stored by a rather exotic molten salt technology in the form of heat.

“The Port Augusta story is a stark example of the transition of the South Australian economy, with the closure of a dirty coal-fired power station, and now the commissioning of this world leading renewable energy project,” said South Australia’s Premier Jay Weatherill.

“The Aurora Solar Energy Project will also create new, advanced employment opportunities in regional South Australia,” said South Australia’s Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis. “We are using our energy plan to drive investment and jobs in this growing sector.”

Aurora Solar Energy Project Will Be Able to Meet Around 5% of the Energy Needs of South Australia

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Storage of up to 1,100 MW or 8 hours of full load is possible. As a result, the plant can ceaselessly output power day and night. But will mostly be used during hours of peak power demand to meet shortfalls. It is currently estimated that the Aurora Solar Energy Project will be able to meet around 5% of the energy needs of South Australia – or to power 90,000 homes with renewable electricity.

While there are a few other big solar thermal power plants worldwide, none currently matches the Aurora Solar Project in power output or scope. Sited in California is the Ivanpah Solar Electric plant. This has three towers that churn out 392 megawatts. And in Chile will soon be built a two-tower solar power plant. This will be constructed by the one and only SolarReserve and is scheduled to output 260 megawatts.

Construction of the Aurora Solar Energy Project is planned to begin in 2018 and will cost $650m. It is planned to start producing power by 2020 and will be located near Port Augusta in Northern Australia.

Aurora fosters new industries and creates plenty new jobs (SolarReserve)

The power plant will create about 650 direct construction jobs (SolarReserve)

50 full-time jobs expected (SolarReserve)

(SolarReserve)

“The Aurora project brings the most advanced power generation technology to South Australia, supporting its energy security and carbon reduction objectives. It also represents a significant opportunity for South Australian workers and businesses to participate in this exciting project,” said Tom Georgis, SolarReserve’s Senior Vice President of Development for SolarReserve.

How it works

Aurora’s functional principle is based on concentrated solar power (CSP). There are different types of CSPs with individual designs. The essential components in the case of the Aurora Solar Energy Project are more than 10,000 mirrors and one solar power tower. The mirrors are ordered circular around the tower. The aim of this formation is to harvest the sun’s energy of a large area hit by the energetic beams. And that is why so many mirrors are applied – to maximise the solar harvest. The solar beams are reflected to one point, called collector or receiver. It is located on the top of the centrally located solar power tower. The concentration of all by the mirrors caught and reflected solar radiation results in extremely high temperatures and a high energy density at the receiver.

The receiver simultaneously acts as a heat exchanger. A circulating fluid works as a heat carrier and captures the concentrated sunlight energy. It is made of molten salt, consisting of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, and heated from 500 to over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. According to SolarReserve, it allows operating at low temperatures. It can even be used to store the heat energy in a thermal storage tank on the ground between 10 to 16 hours until it is needed to generate electricity with an interposed steam generator and the following turbine plus generator.

As the sun is moving during the day, the mirrors are not fixed. Heliostats are used to realize an ongoing reflection to the concentrating point on the top of the tower. It means that each mirror is movable due to an individual tracking system which rotates depending on the position of the sun and the mirror, hence the partially used designation heliostat power plant.

They could fit seamlessly in the building facades - whether newly built or renovated houses

With their integrated photovoltaic generator and extraordinary design, recently presented energy generating glass bricks could soon transform external facades into sustainable power stations. Different glass colors are possible for an individual facade. Energy researchers from the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devon, South West England, proudly presented their pioneering new glass bricks, called Solar Squared. They are looking forward to a broad market introduction. As a further possible component of Green Buildings, the generated electricity can be used for the buildings occupants’ own energy demands.

Energy Generating Glass Bricks are Connected With a Special Plug System

Professor Tapas Mallick, chief scientific advisor for Build Solar, says, “We are aiming to build integrated, affordable, efficient and attractive solar technologies, which have the smallest impact on the local landscape. It’s an exciting venture and one that should capture the imagination of the construction industry, when looking to develop new office blocks and public buildings or infrastructure projects such as train stations and carparks.”

(University of Exeter)

The energy generating glass bricks are connected together using a special plug system. They can fit seamlessly in the facade of the building – whether newly built or renovated houses. Despite the collected solar radiation which will be converted into electricity, the

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energy generating glass bricks let some light get through to slightly illuminate the interior of the building. Unfortunately, the intensity of solar radiation can’t be regulated so easy as with common window glass and external sun protection or, even better, electrochromic smart glass. Everything at once, high customizable shading and generating clean electricity, seems not to be possible. Or maybe with external photovoltaic blinds? However, they exist a few years but they are far from being a serious breakthrough.

“It’s now clear that the world is moving to a distributed energy system, of which a growing proportion is renewable. This, coupled with the shift to electric vehicles means that there are substantial opportunities for new ways of generating electricity at the point of use” said Jim Williams, Co-inventor and Exeter’s research commercialization manager in Cornwall.

With the start-up company Build Solar, the Exeter team aims to bring the energy generating glass brick to the market in 2018. At the moment, they are looking for investments to carry out commercial tests.

What comes to mind when you hear the two terms ‘urban sustainability’ and ‘Copenhagen’? Probably Copenhagen’s famous bicycle-friendly infrastructure. But, of course, Copenhagen also offers green success stories apart from its worldwide renowned cycle-friendly urban environment – for example in the Green Building sector.

With 12,000 Solar Panels, Denmark’s Largest Building-Integrated Photovoltaic System

The recently completed school building CIS Nordhavn, located in Copenhagen’s new Nordhavn district, is wrapped with 12,000 solar panels and therefore Denmark’s largest building-integrated photovoltaic system. According to the designer, C.F. Møller Architects, more than 50% of the school’s annual electricity needs will be covered with clean and self-generated solar energy.

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Most commonly, roofs are used to place a solar plant. In this case, the 6,048 m² solar panels became part of the façade. The roof of Copenhagen’s 26,000 m² large school building partially provides a school playground. This is a further exceptional quality.

A further interesting aspect is the visual appearance. High degrees of freedom are possible nowadays when it comes to the color and patterns of solar panel surfaces. The architects have availed themselves of this option. The turquoise colored photovoltaic panels adapt themselves equally well to their environment. According to C.F. Møller, a sequin-like effect is achieved by different panel angles.

How can solar energy be made all-but-irresistible to homeowners?

We all know that solar panels are a good thing, but few of us would regard them as “pretty.” Could this be the reason why the adoption of solar energy still needs a boost? After all, solar energy has become cheap, but fewer than one percent of US homeowners have gone solar. Perhaps custom solar panel design is the answer.

How can solar energy be made all-but-irresistible to homeowners? This is the problem that Sistine, an organization founded at the MIT Sloan School of Management, hopes to address with its new technology.

SolarSkin Makes Custom Solar Panel Design Simple

The concept is simple: if people are hesitant about the aesthetics of solar panels, why not make them so that they can either blend in or become an attractive feature? SolarSkin allows homeowners to have their solar panels imprinted with an image of their choice. It can be an artwork, a logo, or even an image of the roofing materials the panels cover. The invention can turn your roof into something that resembles a grassy lawn, or you can flaunt your national flag as a statement of patriotism. The only limit is imagination.

How much are Cost and Solar Cell Efficiency Affected?

Custom solar panel design sounds expensive, but Sistine has targeted its SolarSkin option to match ordinary people’s budgets. Getting a one-of-a-kind solar panel costs just ten percent more than buying regular ones. That doesn’t significantly reduce the money-saving potential of the solar system. According to Sistine, homeowners will still stand a chance of saving over $30,000 during the lifespan of their solar installations.

(Courtesy of Sistine Solar)

The image itself is embedded into the solar panel and doesn’t limit its power generating potential; it just makes the panels more aesthetically pleasing, reflecting images while still allowing maximum light penetration.

Are Solar Panel Aesthetics Really Important?

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The Sistine start-up, which won the 2013 MIT Clean Energy Prize, says that aesthetics could well be one of the reasons so few people have made the change to solar energy. Its founders, classmates at MIT, decided to capture people’s imaginations and bring about emotional engagement. By turning solar panels into either art or camouflage, the concept either reduces the visual impact of the panels or turns them into an impactful statement by itself.

The team began by embedding solar panels into 3D objects of any shape but soon realized that the idea wasn’t sufficiently scalable to be feasible for large-scale adoption. Thus, the obvious solution was to take the standard solar panel and reinvent it as art.

The start-up envisions 100 percent uptake of solar energy, and its team believes that by addressing aesthetics with its custom solar panel design, it’s contributing to that vision. Already, over 200 Massachusetts and California homeowners have placed their orders. So far, designs that blend in with existing roofing materials are proving the most popular.

Multi-Purpose Panels?

The concept of embedding business logos into solar panels will make them multi-functional. Businesses can now use solar panels instead of regular signage. The ideas keep flowing. What about producing solar panels that project changing images for advertising? What if authorities used camouflaged solar panels to power streetlights? The possibilities, it seems, are endless.

Is custom solar panel design the wave of the future? With so many possible applications, it seems that Sistine’s novel concept is on the road to success.